


The Ties That Bind Us, Blind Us

by accio_magic



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Bellatrix is still a bitch tho, F/M, Family Feels, Gen, Good Narcissa Black Malfoy, Hurt/Comfort, I stand by this Lucius with all my heart, Lucius Malfoy is not OOC okay, Married Life, Pregnancy, See end notes about a possible trigger, She loves her sister and Dromeda loves her, The Author Regrets Everything, The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, and you thought your family was screwed up, chapter two is angst af you have been warned, get over it, mentions of torture, the tonks and malfoys will kill me one day i swear
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-16
Updated: 2018-08-31
Packaged: 2019-06-28 07:39:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15702798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/accio_magic/pseuds/accio_magic
Summary: Ted Tonks and his wife Andromeda  are settled and live happily together, raising their daughter Dora and doing their best to stay off the radar of those who wish them ill-will. Their family is small, but to them it is perfect. During January of 1980 they find themselves facing trouble when Narcissa sends a letter to her sister. The men that love the two youngest Black sisters are thrown together in the most unfortunate of circumstances and find they have more in common than they originally thought.





	1. A Late Letter

**Author's Note:**

> I am so terrible at summaries. Really, really terrible. This is just another insight to the life and lives of the Black Sisters and the men that married them. Okay, okay. It's really about Ted and Andy, but Lucius and Narcissa are my loves as well and they feature heavily in this story. I hope you all enjoy!  
> ..... She says, knowing full well that angst and hurt and tears are at the end of this fic. PLEASE SEE END NOTES FOR A POTENTIAL TRIGGER THAT WILL SPOIL THE ENDING OF THIS FIC.

The morning air was chilly against Ted’s face, despite both fireplaces roaring with flames. Ted Tonks was usually very fond of winter and all that it entailed; hot chocolate abounded, quilts upon quilts were readily available to snuggle in, and it gave him an excuse to cuddle his wife as frequently as he wished. This morning, however, he couldn’t get warm at all, no matter how many layers he piled on or how many fires he built up.

Ted had just returned from dropping Nymphadora off with his father, and it had taken forever for his truck’s heater to kick in. The frosty air had lingered, refusing to heat up. It had taken the entire trip to his parents’ home and halfway back to theirs before the interior of the vehicle was even relatively warm. Dora didn’t seem to mind in the slightest, but he imagined that she had somehow extended her magic to keep the cold at bay.

At nearly six and a half years of age, Dora was already smart as a whip and had been exhibiting an alarming amount of raw magic. He and Andromeda did their best to keep it under control, but neither of them had any clue how to teach her to control her metamorphmagus abilities. Even with their spellwork to keep her looking normal to muggles, primary school was out of the question. Her magic was just too explosive; As clumsy as she was, it leaked out of her like a burst pipe. Luckily for them, Andrew Tonks was a retired school teacher and had been absolutely thrilled to homeschool his one and only grandchild. It helped that she had had him wrapped around her little finger from the moment he’d laid eyes upon her, and he tended to spoil her more than he ever had Ted. Her parents and grandparents had been smitten from day one and, unluckily for them, Dora had learned to exploit that fact very early on.

Ted was glad to back home and out of the frosty weather. If he were lucky, he’d find warm food in the kitchen and a willing wife to cuddle. They didn’t have plans that day and Ted desired nothing more than to spend it with her, wrapped up in as many blankets as possible. He kicked off his boots and slipped into his house shoes, shuffling into the kitchen to find Andromeda scrambling eggs. A smile broke across his face, the lines on his face crinkling upwards as he did so; It was if she had read his mind.

“Toast’s almost done, check it for me?” Andromeda requested in way of a greeting.

Ted did as he was asked, popping up four pieces of crispy brown bread and nearly burning his fingers as he transferred them to a plate.

“Burnt fingers weren’t exactly on the menu,” Andromeda laughed, a sparkle in her eye.

“Mm,” Ted hummed in agreement. “I should hope not. Is that bacon I smell?” 

His wife laughed again, pointing to the oven where it was being kept warm.

Their breakfast was a simple affair, nothing the likes they would have received at Hogwarts. It had been over a decade since he’d had a meal from Hogwarts and he still missed the House Elves’ cooking. He wasn’t sure he had ever eaten so much in his entire life as he did while he attended Hogwarts. His mother used to joke that it was a good thing she didn’t have to feed him year round, as she was sure he’d eat them out of house and home.

Ted was scraping his plate of the last pieces of egg when a familiar owl pecked at the window above the sink. Upon seeing the owl, Andromeda jumped up and ran to the window before Ted could even scoot his chair back. She patted the owl and produced a treat from a jar, stroking it once more before sending it on its way. She hastily tore at the letter and began to read it silently. Ted finished his eggs, a small smile playing at his lips.

Andromeda had been in contact with her younger sister for years, all in secret. Normally they corresponded by owl, once, maybe twice a month. In the past year Narcissa had begun to write more frequently; she had even taken to seeing her older sister for coffee or tea in obscure Muggle cafés around Bath, Bristol, and even into Wales when they fancied it. They were growing bold, hungering for one another’s company as if to make up for lost time. It was late Spring when Narcissa had shown up on their doorstep, shocking Ted first with her appearance and then with her civility. One could have even described her as plain out pleasant. The wards they had in place around their small home had never went off, which proved that Andromeda’s younger sister didn’t mean them any harm. Ted was still uneasy about letting her into their home, but that uneasiness dissipated when he saw how happy the two sisters were to see one another.

Narcissa hadn’t changed much since their days at school together; She was a little taller, her hair longer. Her clothing was expensive and looked as if it had been tailor made for her, but from their trips to Hogsmeade Ted knew that wasn’t anything new. What was new, however, was the very large gemstone that sat on her ring finger, weighing her delicate hand down from its weight. He tried not to think of the man that put it there.

Ted knew it was dangerous, he _knew_ it would bring trouble, but depriving his wife the pleasure of speaking with her sister was something he’d never be able to do. Depriving her of anything that brought such a smile to her face would be a crime, and he’d be damned if he would be the one to commit it. He was well aware of the trouble they were all courting, but even he couldn’t bring himself to ask Andromeda to end it. 

 

Over the course of six and a half months, Ted had come to enjoy his sister-in-law’s company, had warmed to her quick wit and dry humour, and was thankful for her adoration of her niece. Dora had taken to mimicking Narcissa’s long blonde locks and her light blue eyes, a habit everyone in the house had immediately found adorable. Soon after that, Narcissa had taken to bringing Dora small gifts, a new dress and coat the most recent. Ted had mentioned that Narcissa was spoiling her, especially with the expensive clothing, but Narcissa just waved his concern away as if she found his thoughts unnecessary. 

“Making her smile makes me happy. That dress belonged to Andromeda, and the coat was mine. Our mother, well.“ Narcissa tsked. “She never struck me as the sentimental type, but the day after I was married, she sent over many of our favourite clothing from when we were little girls. I suppose Andromeda was to have her belongings,” she had glanced over to her sister, a sad smile on her face. She turned back to Ted and continued, her face composed once more. “However, I’ve got them now. To be quite honest, I’m not sure when I’ll have the chance to use them, so gifting them to my niece is the next best thing.” And that had been that. The dress and his daughter had been inseparable since, just as his wife was once more with her little sister.

Narcissa brought out a side of his wife that he rarely saw; he couldn’t quite name it, but it was peaceful and pleasing to see. She was happy, and her happiness had always been his primary concern.

It had been weeks since Cissa had been to visit the Tonks’, and Ted noticed how her absence affected his wife and even little Dora. Narcissa was a little over four and a half months pregnant and had been suffering from horrible morning sickness. Ted suspected the nasty snowstorm they’d had at the beginning of the month didn’t help matters. Andromeda had been pregnant over the winter holidays, and Ted cleary remembered how miserable she was.

Ted was broken from his reverie when Andromeda began to strip out of her pajama right there in front of the kitchen sink. He raised a questioning eyebrow and got up to follow her as she sped to their bedroom.

“Not that I’m complaining, mind you, but why are you stripping through the kitchen?”

“Cissa needs me!” Andromeda shouted from their bedroom. 

Ted’s brow furrowed, and opened his mouth to say something – what, he wasn’t quite sure. Before he could figure out what he wanted to say, Andromeda frantically began to explain. 

“She’s begging me, Ted! Something’s wrong; she sounded scared. She can’t keep anything down and she needs me. She needs _me_.” He watched with wide eyes as she pulled on a pair of thick, woolen tights, and a long plaid skirt. As she was digging around for a top, Ted finally found the words he needed to say.

“You can’t, Dromeda. She knows that! You can’t! It’s too dangerous. What in Merlin is she thinking, asking you to go to the Manor?”

“She’s thinking,” Andromeda’s tone grew dangerously dark, “that she needs her big sister. She’s scared and she needs me! Of course I’m going.”

“The hell you are!”

Andromeda whipped around to face him, one of his heavy knitted jumpers crumpled in her hands. Her eyes narrowed and turned stormy, and she drew back her shoulders to stand as straight as possible. Experience had taught him that nothing good ever came from narrowed eyes and a stick straight back. She even jutted her chin out, giving the appearance that she was looking down upon him, despite being nearly a foot shorter than he was.

“I am, Theodore Andrew Tonks,” she shoved her arms into her sweater, pulling it quickly over her head, her movements radiating anger. “I will _not_ abandon my baby sister when she needs me!” She shoved her feet into an old pair of boots, nearly falling in her haste.

Andromeda had never been able to deny her little sister before, and it clear to him that that hadn’t changed, even if everything else had.

It was dangerous, and foolish. He knew it and he damn well knew she did as well. Over a decade may have passed since they had first gotten together, but it didn’t change the fact that many still hated their relationship and their little family. Andromeda was labeled a blood traitor, a target just like her husband. She’d been burnt from her family tree, and had many enemies for it. They both did.

 

It was one thing for Narcissa to sneak off to the other side of the country to visit her blood traitor of a sister. She wasn’t being searched for, and she certainly wasn’t being followed. Narcissa was very good at making people think exactly what she wanted them to think about her. She was a better actress than Andromeda had ever been. It was entirely different for Dromeda to visit the home of a suspected Death Eater, even if he was her brother-in-law.

The Dark Lord was becoming more and more powerful, his followers killing off entire families of Half-Bloods, Muggleborns, and Muggles like it was all a game. _To Him, it was a game,_ Ted reminded himself bitterly. The Auror Department could hardly keep up with all of the reported sightings of dark wizards, the missing persons, the deaths. People were scared and for good reason. War was coming; it swept through the air like a miasma, sinister and full of the unknown. 

Andromeda knew all that just as well as her husband. And yet… Andromeda couldn’t stay hidden away while her baby sister begged for her to come, especially not now that she had come to accept the Tonks for all they were, and even love them for it. Not now that she was pregnant and carrying Andromeda’s niece or nephew. The fear that creeped into the daily lives of so many couldn’t, wouldn’t, deter her from making sure Narcissa was safe. Death Eaters and Dark Lords be damned. Ted read it all in her eyes as she stared at him, daring him to object again. He knew the only way she wouldn’t be leaving their house is if Ted physically stopped her.

And so, he let her go. He punched the wall after the crack of her Apparation sounded, leaving a fist sized indent in their bedroom wall and shattered picture frames on the floor.

Ted shoved his feet back into his own boots, pulling on his work jacket once his boots were tied. He spent the next few hours out back by the woodshed, chopping firewood to allow his anger to dispel without any further breaking of their home and belongings. The cold air helped clear his head and the repetitive swinging of the axe and splintering of the logs numbed his mind to all other thoughts. He lost himself in the rhythm of the chore and eventually found that his anger dissipated with each swing of his axe. 

Back inside, he used magic to repair the wall and broken glass. Another wave of his wand and the picture frames were back in place, as if nothing had ever disturbed them. 

A knot of worry grew in his stomach, his anger replaced completely with concern for his wife, and surprisingly, for Narcissa as well. Women lost babes all the time, and he was reminded of a time when Andromeda told him it wasn’t uncommon for first pregnancies to end unexpectedly. Ted felt slightly shamed, and decided that after he showered, he’d pop over to the bakery in town that Narcissa favoured and buy her a box of the sticky buns she was ever so fond of. Danger be damned. Somehow Narcissa has snuck into his heart and he’d be forever shamed if he didn’t show up and offer her his support. It didn’t hurt that it would probably neutralize the rift he and his wife had created by arguing earlier. 

Ted had been in the process of tying his shoes when the telephone rang. He barely made it to the phone in time, the last shrill ring cut off as he sprang for the handset. His chipper greeting died as an unfamiliar voice asked if he was Theodore Tonks. “I am,” he replied, dread immediately running through his veins.

The grave voice on the other side of the telephone carefully explained that his brother-in-law requested the staff call him, as there was an emergency concerning his wife. 

Confused, Ted asked the woman repeat herself, sure he’d heard incorrectly. There was no way Lucius Malfoy would show him any sort of courtesy, not now, not ever.

“Yes sir, Lucius Malfoy,“ she confirmed. “He brought your wife in with Mrs. Malfoy. Please come at your earliest convenience, as there has been an accident.” Ted nearly lost the contents of his stomach at those words. An accident. The woman wouldn’t say what sort, despite Ted’s frantic demands.

“Fucking useless bint --- Argh!” He shouted, hastily slamming the phone back on its receiver, not caring that it didn’t take and fell to the floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **SPOILER**  
> .....  
> ......  
> .......  
> The next chapter deals with mentions and reactions to a miscarriage. Please do not read if this is a trigger for you.**SPOILER**


	2. The Consequences of Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After fighting over whether Andromeda should visit her sister or not, Ted is angry with himself for the way he reacted. Determined to make things right, he plans to surprise them both with baked goods. Before he's able, the phone rings and the conversation is one that changes his life forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is ANGST. I cranked it up to ten and probably broke it. This is hurt and comfort and a helluva lot of angst. It could also be triggering to some, but revealing what's about to go down would spoil the entire story. No non-con or rape or anything like that. If you'd like the warning, just check the end notes!
> 
> This particular piece was original a drabble for a hurt/comfort drabble prompt with Lucius Malfoy and Ted Tonks, and turned into an absolute monster when I revisited it years later. After months of work, I finally am able to publish it and say that I am DONE.

It was a small miracle that he managed to Apparate to St. Mungo’s without splinching himself. 

He’d been directed towards Malfoy immediately, but the trip in the lift was agonizingly slow. He tried to find a Healer to speak to, but the reception desk was empty of staff and the waiting area was devoid of anyone but his brother-in-law.

Ted staggered into the wall when he saw him.

Malfoy was sitting in a generic plastic chair, the sort that apparently littered both Muggle and Wizarding health institutions alike. Lucius’ pale face was slick with sweat, his blond shoulder length hair disheveled in a way that would make most raise an eye, at the very least -- Malfoys were always contained, neat, proper. Ted himself had never once seen Lucius so unkept, not even during their days playing Quidditch at Hogwarts. Had this been any other occasion, Ted would have undoubtedly made some snarky joke about how Lucius must’ve woken up on the wrong side of the bed. Jokes, however, even at the expense of Malfoy, were as far from his mind as possible at the moment. Ted wasn’t sure he’d ever smile again, let alone crack a joke.

Ted took a few unsteady steps and as he did he noticed that not only was Lucius’ hair a mess, it was flaked with what Ted stupidly thought was rust, only to quickly realize it was dried blood. Ted’s eyes dropped and took in the rest of him. His feet were bare. His dark trousers hid any stains, but his white shirt was smeared with so much blood that it had yet to dry. Lucius’ elegant hands were stained red. 

Ted fought the overwhelming urge to puke.

Lucius had said very little once he realized Ted was standing there, only that Andromeda was still alive and that Bellatrix had been the one who did it. His voice shook in a way that Ted had never known it to. His face ashen and his eyes haunted, as if they were full of images that he would never be able to unsee.

“The baby?”

Lucius jerked his head and his eyes fell away from Ted and to the floor. He didn’t ask how Ted knew Narcissa was pregnant, just replied solemnly, “They don’t know.”

Ted stumbled across the room and fell into one of the many empty seats. Lucius had gone silent and Ted had suddenly become unable to speak himself. Ted made no excuses as to why Andromeda had been at the Malfoy’s Wiltshire Estate; Lucius made no mention of it either. At this point, he supposed it hardly mattered. The silence engulfed them, feeding their inner anguish as both their minds were left to imagine the worst.

People had been comparing situations to Hell for centuries. Scholars had poured over Dante's Inferno and students had studied it. Ministers preached about the perils of sin and the thousands of ways one could end up burning for eternity in Lucifer’s Hell.

Fire and hell and brimstone.

None of them had a damn clue. 

Not a single one.

Ted found himself sitting against the dull blue wall of the hospital, sick to his stomach. His hands were shaking even though they were curled into tight fists, his knuckles bloodless from the pressure. His eyes stared straight ahead, dead to his surroundings. Any and all noise filtering through his ears, failing to register in his brain. He found himself gasping for air more than once, unconscious of the fact that he was holding his breath until his body made a sudden demand for oxygen.

A flash of movement caught his attention and his eyes shot towards it, but it was only Lucius brushing his hair from his face, dried blood leaving more rusty streaks in his normally perfect locks. Ted’s stomach churned; it was impossible to know if the blood was from his wife or not. He couldn’t bring himself to ask.

Ted sat forward in his seat, leaning forward so his elbows dug into his thighs and his face rested in his hands. He should have never let her leave. If he hadn’t allowed her leave, she’d be safe. She’d be home with him and Nymphadora and this nightmare would have never happened. But he knew better than anyone that there wasn’t a soul on this planet that could for Andromeda Tonks to do a single thing she didn’t wish. He just hoped that her willful spirit and rashness hadn’t cost him a wife and their daughter a mother. No. What he truly wished is that he’d insisted on going with her, rather than spending what could have been their last moments together fighting.  
Ted truly did lose his breakfast then, vomiting all over the floor at the mere thought of his last words to her being shouted ones. He heaved and coughed, sputtering as the last of his stomach contents fled his body. Before he could even raise his wand to vanish the mess, it disappeared right before his eyes. Bloody magical hospitals. Ted leaned back, grimacing as hard plastic dug into his spine. Bloody hospitals and their shitty chairs. He wiped his mouth with the back of hand and spelled his mouth fresh before sliding his wand back into it’s holster on his left forearm. 

Had Ted been in his right mind to pay attention, he would have been surprised that Lucius hadn’t raved, hadn’t screamed, hadn’t even raised his wand to threaten a single soul – not that there was anyone around to threaten but him.

And so Ted sat, not ten feet away from one of the very reasons fear ran amuck in Wizarding Britain. Not that the Lucius sitting across him was the same man he’d heard rumours of. For all Ted was feeling, Lucius could have taken to torturing him right then and there and he wouldn’t be capable of feeling any of it. Nothing could ever compare to _this_ , no physical pain could ever compete – not even the Cruciatus.

Not one disgusted sneer had been given in Ted’s direction. Rather, the only expression on the pure-blood’s face was something he could only describe as confusion and loss, as if Lucius couldn’t quite understand how they both had ended up where they were. Ted knew he was probably giving the fair haired, ex-Slytherin the same look. For today, at least, their emotions were the same, their grief universal. It connected them, and gave them a common ground they had never had before.

An attendant had been in to tell them their wives were still in surgery, but had fled as soon as her message had been delivered, denying either of them a chance to batter her with questions.

Hours passed, agonizingly slow.

It felt like days, weeks; months, even. 

Ted’s legs were asleep by the time two Healers had been in to speak with them both, only to fill their minds with useless information that did neither of them any good. _Muggle doctors were assisting with the surgeries. Critical condition. Internal bleeding. Impossible to determine the extent of the damage. Attempting to stabilize._ Ted couldn’t think about anything other than those phrases and what they implied. They stabbed and sliced at him, like he was being gutted like a fish, repeatedly.

Ted found the strength inside him to find a telephone in order to call his folks. He had to go down three floors and countless halls, but he was finally directed to the rarely used Muggle device. He absently wondered if it was the same phone that useless woman had used to call him earlier.

His mother answered on the second ring and went deadly quiet as her son explained where he was and why. “Mum, you’ve got to keep Dora. She can’t – I can’t. I don’t–” Ted’s voice trembled, and tears kept falling freely down his cheeks, gathering in his three day old beard.

His mum, bless her, was all assurances; even though she sounded upset, he knew she’d bury it deep and mask it for the sake of her granddaughter.

Ted somehow found himself back in the blue walled waiting area where he and Lucius had been left to stew in their distress and the unknown. He promptly fell into a chair, his body on autopilot. Lucius began to speak a few moments later, his voice devoid of the superior attitude it was normally filled with.

Ted listened in horror.

Bellatrix had popped in and found them both in the atrium, laughing as if they were little girls, or so Ted imagined. His wife and her sister had proved very susceptible to giggle fits, a sound Ted had come to very much enjoy.

“Cissa was barely conscious, but managed to tell me that it was Bellatrix. Andromeda–” Lucius’s voice cracked, hitching as he continued, “I thought she was dead.”

Ted waited for him to say more, but Lucius stayed silent, lost in his mindless misery once more. Ted didn’t ask for more details. He didn’t want them. Lucius and the Healers had already provided enough to cause his insides to twist into knots of grief and fury that he doubted he’d ever be able to untie. Perhaps knowing as little as possible would be for the best, at least for now.

Finally, after ages and ages of waiting, a Muggle surgeon and a Healer entered the room. Lucius was up first, Ted still lost inside himself and his grief and guilt to even notice. Ted only looked up after Lucius came over and nudged him with his foot. Most uncharacteristically, Lucius offered Ted a hand up. He took it, too far gone to realize this was the first time Lucius had ever touched him in a non-threatening manner. The men they were before were not the same men they were in this moment. In this moment, a sick twist of fate united them in mutual sorrow and fear.

Ted turned to the doctor and healer and looked at them expectantly, fearing the worst as he saw the grim expressions each medical professional wore.

The Healer spoke first. “Both Mrs. Tonks and Malfoy are in stable condition, for now. We’ve managed to stop the bleeding and heal many of their injuries, including their broken bones.”

Lucius growled and Ted felt the rage inside him grow tenfold. Lucius had seen them both, known more about their condition than Ted. He imagined they wouldn’t have a full list of what each of their wives had suffered until their conditions had stabilized more. Revenge was likely flying through Lucius’ mind; It sure as hell was in his.

“The baby,” Lucius croaked out in such a voice that Ted had never heard before. “What about our baby?” 

Ted’s heart skipped a beat and he held his his breath, anticipating the worst answer imaginable.

The doctor, a young man of about thirty, rung his hands and looked down, leaving the Healer to answer. The Healer coughed, then swallowed hard. The older man turned slightly to face Ted’s brother-in-law directly. “Mr. Malfoy, your baby is fine. It was touch and go for a few moments, but you’ve got a fighter. We’ll monitor his condition closely, but he should be absolutely fine.” 

Relief washed through him as a faint smile grew on Ted’s lips, or as close to one as he could manage in his current state of emotions. His nephew was safe, as was his mother and aunt. Whatever torture Bellatrix delivered did not cost them their lives, nor their future, and Ted nearly cried with the relief of it all.

“Thank y-” Lucius began, his voice full of such raw emotion it hardly sounded like him.

“But,” the Healer interrupted, his eyes now meeting Ted’s, “we… we couldn’t save yours, Mister Tonks. We’re so sorry.”

Ted’s mouth fell open and he found himself shaking his head. “No. No, that’s not-” he shook his head again and tears began to fall from his eyes. “We’re not- she’s not pregnant!” Ted’s lips began to tremble and his knees went out, the cold tile floor slamming into his body as he fell.

Vaguely he heard, “It was early, sir. Only six or seven weeks. In all likelihood, your wife didn’t even know. We’re so sorry, sir, so sorry.”

Again, as if though they were speaking on the other side of a shut door, Ted heard Lucius’s hostile tones, though he couldn’t make out what he was saying.

It didn’t matter. 

Nothing else mattered. 

A baby. 

_Their _baby.__

__Gone._ _

__Gone before either of them had even known._ _

__Sobs wracked his body; noisy, violent sobs that sounded as if they were coming from someone other than him. Sorrow engulfed him like a savage and unforgiving sea, one that swallowed up ships during a hurricane. Waves of anguish slammed into him, his breath hitching so quickly he was in danger of hyperventilating. Ted cried for their lost child, but even more so he cried because he knew he had to be the one who told Andromeda. She didn’t deserve to hear it from anyone else, especially not a stranger._ _

__If Hell was on Earth, he was, without a doubt, in it._ _

__Both the Healer and surgeon retreated, leaving Ted to grieve and Lucius to stand there, uneasily. Ted wasn’t sure how long he stood there before crouching down in front of him. Lucius shouldn’t give a damn about him, about what he was going through. A Mudblood was of no concern of his, after all. But there he was before him, shaking him by his shoulders and demanding Ted’s attention._ _

__“Stop. Stop it, Tonks,” he demanded harshly, sounding much more like the Lucius Ted remembered at school. “We can’t show up like this. They said Cissa and Andromeda are sharing a room. They need us. Pull yourself together. Now.”_ _

__Ted quieted, although he wasn’t sure if it had to do with what Lucius had said, or if it was because Lucius was clutching Ted, offering him aid. Grief did funny things to people. Then again, so did love. If he knew one thing about Lucius Malfoy --one thing-- it was that he loved Narcissa the way Ted loved Andromeda. Without reservations, unabashedly, and with every fibre of their being. There were some things a man could never fake, and Lucius had never been able to hide his affection for Andromeda’s youngest sister._ _

__Lucius stood and stepped back, a hint of disdain beginning to creep across his face, as if he were disgusted to find himself behaving the way he was. Ted could see him trying to reel in the emotions he’d been unable to control while they waited on the edge of uncertainty. The mask was slowly falling back into place now that he knew Narcissa was going to be okay._ _

__Ted stood._ _

__

__Lucius began to walk down the hall, but Ted stopped him. “Your shirt!” Ted waved his hand to gesture at Malfoy’s entire appearance -- at the blood of their wives’._ _

__Malfoy’s masked expression slipped and his face went ashen once more. “I– thank you.“ Lucius quietly choked out, right before he pulled out his wand and waved away every trace of blood from his person. He coughed uncomfortably, then nodded his head at the empty hallway; Ted assumed in the direction of the room their wives shared. “Let’s see to our wives; I want to be there when Narcissa wakes.“ Lucius took a deep breath, as if bracing himself for the next words to come out of his mouth. “I’ll do what I can to keep Bellatrix from your family, for Cissa.” Lucius met his gaze and Ted saw the resolve in the man’s icy blue eyes. Death Eater or no, Lucius Malfoy was, and always would be, a man that put his family first._ _

__Ted held his eyes for a moment, long enough for them to come to a silent understanding. The Tonks’ would face no danger from Lucius, nor would he assist in their capture, torture, or deaths._ _

__Their moment of understanding passed; Lucius turned on his heel and began to stride out of the waiting area and down the hallway. Ted took an unstable step after him, still fighting back the desolation that threatened to overtake him. It was all so much to take in; he could feel his body rebelling against the assault of everything that had happened in the last three hours. When he was finally allowed a moment of rest, he knew he’d sleep for many, many hours. He dragged a hand down his face, wiping away the tears and the whimper that threatened to escape his mouth. Dread filled his belly, and the anguish he felt was barely kept at bay._ _

__Ted clenched his fists and took a shuddering breath, expelling some of the tension coiled inside him._ _

__For once, Lucius Malfoy was right. They should both be there before the women they loved regained consciousness, and they should be as strong as they could manage. He steeled himself to most of his despair, determination filling around his sorrow, if only for a little while. Ted hurried after his brother-in-law, determined to be there for his wife, and if she so wished, for his sister-in-law as well._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what does everything think? Characters on point? Do you want more of the Narcissa/Tonks family dynamic? What about Ted and Lucius? Was there too much angst, or just enough? Or hell, not enough? Let me know!
> 
> Looking forward to hearing your thoughts, and, if anyone wants more! Thanks so much for reading! :)

**Author's Note:**

> **SPOILER**   
> ....  
> .....  
> ......  
> This chapter deals with mentions and reactions to a miscarriage. Please do not read if this is a trigger for you.**SPOILER**


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